Be careful, be ready!

[alfstone]

Right now, it's been decided: only food shops, banks, post service, transport and pharmacies open. Everything else CLOSED. And it's right. First benefits (hopefully) in a couple of weeks. Finger crossing...

Be careful Hilary, day after day it's a tsunami, actually not here where I live, but in some cities of Lombardy it's a real tsunami going over the possibilities for our NHS. This explains the higher, and growing, % of deaths. Simply no enough respirators and ICU units beds for all. It's a race against the time, trying to slow down the curve of new cases. A nightmare.

Alfredo

[drumbum]

It is my understanding that this virus is a "Fluid" passed virus . If you get the bacteria on your hand, and touch your mouth, eyes, nose. that's how YOU get it. So if someone sneezes and you come in contact with it, if it enters your body by way of your neck-up areas you will get it. The bacteria does not last long on a surface. So its basically a person to person transmission. if your wearing a mask, and you get it on your hands, and touch your eyes, you get it. One best practice is washing your hands alot.!

When I learned of this transmittal process, I was shocked at how quickly this thing is spreading..like 1,2,4,8,16,32,64...and on..scary for sure...

 

[Flash Harry]

It's not bacteria. It's a virus which is a different thing. Bacteria are living organisms and they reproduce by themselves, it's usually the toxins that they create that does the damage to us. Viruses are bits of DNA or RNA encapsulated in a shell. To reproduce they need to invade a living cell and take over some of the cell's job. You can't kill a virus with antibacterial cleaners, (well not strictly true), they're little buggers that get into your body and start to take over. You get a fever because your immune system tries to fight the invasion. Once infected, your body learns how to fight the infection by producing antibodies and through the action of your white blood cells.

Antibiotics are of no use against viruses, they only work against bacteria.  Anti-viral drugs are still too specific to be able to target wide spectrum viruses (again - not strictly true, but bloody expensive - ask any HIV positive human).

The best way to protect against viruses is to vaccinate. The trouble is, there's no vaccine for Corona as yet and will not be for a year or so most probably. Vaccines allow your body to produce antibodies to fight the virus without giving you the illness (again - not strictly true) which then gives you the defence against a real infection of the virus.

Viruses can enter your body through your mucous membranes, eyes, nose and other things best not mentioned, so the idea is not to give it the opportunity. Wash your hands well to remove the virus or to destroy its shell (alcohol works great for Corona 80+%, but not all (see RNA/DNA)) and don't pick you nose, rub your eyes or scratch your arse.

I'm sure that Alfredo will pick holes in this layman's explanation - I'm looking forward to being corrected.

[Greeny (No longer active)]

Our office has just gone on immediate lockdown as we had a client here yesterday who has now tested positive. Assuming that they must have been showing / feeling some kind of symptoms, what the hell were they doing travelling on public transport and going to meetings etc in London? They may have infected their own office, our office and the WeWork building they were also in yesterday. Plus anyone else on trains and in coffee shops they came into to contact with.

Same happened at my son's place of work (another big London office) earlier in the week.

Shit's getting real.

[alfstone]

I'm sure that Alfredo will pick holes in this layman's explanation - I'm looking forward to being corrected.

Perfect, no correction needed, congratulations. Only, since we've beginning to learn about this paticular virus only in these few weeks, it's not completely sure it will have the same characteristics as the other ones.

Alfredo

[Hook]

and don't pick you nose, rub your eyes or scratch your arse.

This is like my constant 15 min cycle.

[Geir]

Thanks for your insight

Today Norway is shutting down as well. Every school and daycare closes. No gatherings of more than 100 people etc etc

[alfstone]

Even if long, extremely important. Please read it if you want understand the real situation and what to do.

https://medium.com/@tomaspueyo/coronavirus-act-today-or-people-will-die-f4d3d9cd99ca

Alfredo

[Mike_S]

Even if long, extremely important. Please read it if you want understand the real situation and what to do.

https://medium.com/@tomaspueyo/coronavirus-act-today-or-people-will-die-f4d3d9cd99ca

Alfredo

Thank you Alfredo... appreciate that. I did not read it all but I read a lot. Enough to be pretty afraid to tell you the truth. This thing looks like it could be like an iceberg, with the majority of the danger unseen but there nonetheless. I really hope it turns out better than some of the more severe predictions.

Best wishes, stay safe
Mike

[alfstone]

Even if long, extremely important. Please read it if you want understand the real situation and what to do.

https://medium.com/@tomaspueyo/coronavirus-act-today-or-people-will-die-f4d3d9cd99ca

Alfredo

Thank you Alfredo... appreciate that. I did not read it all but I read a lot. Enough to be pretty afraid to tell you the truth. This thing looks like it could be like an iceberg, with the majority of the danger unseen but there nonetheless. I really hope it turns out better than some of the more severe predictions.

Best wishes, stay safe
Mike

My opinion is that France, UK, Germany and USA are making exactly the same mistake we've made here in Italy. We should have closed everything since the beginning, looking at what they made in China.

To be clear, my friends...if my destiny is dying for this beast after eveything has been made in order to save my life by my colleagues, well, I could accept it. What I CANNOT ACCEPT at all is that in 2020 this could happen just because all the ICU beds and ventilators are full, and my NHS, still after 3 weeks, gave me just NOTHING, in spite of my job, to protect myself.

Alfredo